Vaseline

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Vaseline (disambiguation).
Vaseline
body lotion
OwnerUnilever
CountryUnited States
Introduced1872; 152 years ago (1872)
MarketsWorldwide
TaglineThe Healing Power of Vaseline
Websitevaseline.com Edit this at Wikidata
Vaseline in container. Produced in USSR.

Vaseline (

deodorants
.

In many languages, the word "vaseline" is used as generic for petroleum jelly; in Portugal, the Unilever products are called Vasenol, and in Brazil and some Spanish-speaking countries, the Unilever products are called Vaselina.

History

An image from Vaseline company archives

In 1859,

sperm whales, traveled to the oil fields in Titusville, Pennsylvania to research what new materials might be created from this new fuel. There he learned of a residue called rod wax that had to be periodically removed from oil rig pumps. The oil workers had been using the substance to heal cuts and burns. Chesebrough took samples of the rod wax back to Brooklyn, extracted the usable petroleum jelly, and began manufacturing a medicinal product he called Vaseline.[4]

The first known reference to the name Vaseline was by Chesebrough in his U.S. patent (U.S. Patent 127,568) in 1872. "I, Robert Chesebrough, have invented a new and useful product from petroleum which I have named Vaseline..."

The name "vaseline" is said by the manufacturer to be derived from German Wasser "water" + Greek έλαιον (elaion) "oil".[5]

Vaseline was made by the Chesebrough Manufacturing Company until the company, which merged with Pond's in 1955, was purchased by Unilever in 1987.[3]

Uses

Further information: Petroleum jelly § Uses
Vaseline in its container

Vaseline can be used as a lubricant for metallic and plastic surfaces. Vaseline should never be used as a

eczema.[12]

Topical application

As a petrolatum product, Vaseline is used as a

eczema in adults.[11][13]

Vaseline contains mineral oils.[12] Unrefined mineral oils often contain adulterants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which can increase risk for certain forms of cancer when consumed orally.[14] When used topically (as is recommended with Vaseline), dermal absorption of PAHs is insignificant.[15] No link between topical petroleum jelly-based moisturizers and cancer has been found in large studies over many years.[16]

Ingredient sources

White petrolatum, the ingredient in petroleum jelly Vaseline, is refined from petroleum
.

References

Notes

  1. ^ Also pronounced with the main stress on the last syllable /ˌvæsəˈliːn/.

Citations

  1. ^ "Definition of Vaseline". The Free Dictionary. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  2. ^ "Define Vaseline". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-1-118-42893-1
    .
  4. ^ The History of Vaseline Petroleum Jelly began in the Pennsylvania Oil Fields!, Drake Well Museum pamphlet, copyright 1996 by Holigan Group Ltd, Dallas, Texas
  5. Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
    (1913)
  6. PMID 26967165
    .
  7. S2CID 1580695
    .
  8. PMID 34292926
    .
  9. PMID 2535978
    .
  10. S2CID 25489307
    .
  11. ^
    PMID 24813302
    .
  12. ^ a b c d "Petrolatum topical". Drugs.com. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  13. PMID 28166390
    .
  14. ^ IARC Working Group, on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans (2012). "MINERAL OILS, UNTREATED OR MILDLY TREATED". Chemical Agents and Related Occupations. International Agency for Research on Cancer. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  15. S2CID 203850745
    .
  16. S2CID 210812934
    .

External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vaseline.
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